Role of a financial planner
Some people believe that the sole purpose of Financial Planners is to provide advice on investments. This is not true.
Accountants, share brokers and other professionals can give you advice on some specific aspects of your financial and investment requirements.
The role of a qualified Financial Planner is to look at all aspects of your lifestyle, goals and requirements and develop a financial strategy suitable for you. The recommended strategy should help you reach your goals effectively and efficiently.
Outlook's Financial Planners concentrate on the task of providing sound strategic and technical advice on an ongoing basis.
The Statement of Advice (SoA, previously known as a financial plan) includes areas like cash flow management, insurance, estate planning, risk and return assessment, strategic asset allocation, superannuation, taxation and all other issues that impact your financial strategy. The SoA is a strategic and technical guide to any financial decisions you make.
Specific investment recommendations form only a part of the complete SoA.
Any changes in your goals, lifestyle and circumstances should be reflected in your SoA. As professional Financial Planners we regularly review your financial strategy with you to ensure that all such changes are incorporated.
It is important to understand that there will always be risks when it comes to investing your money. The goal is to effectively manage the risk. No-one can ever guarantee beyond any doubt that the value of your investments will never decrease. What a good Financial Planning organisation can do is put processes in place to manage the risks.
Outlook, via its Investment Committee, can help to control that process. We can provide to you the information you need to assess the situation. We can help you to understand the relevant issues and make informed decisions about your investments.
We cannot control financial markets, government regulations, the economy, the laws on tax and social security or any of the myriad possible changes to your personal life that could affect your financial and lifestyle position.
Make your Financial Planner your first point of contact for any decisions that can impact your financial future. Regular interaction with your planner can ensure that your financial strategy is always consistent with your goals and changing lifestyle needs.